In the early stages, high cholesterol (or hypercholesterolemia) presents itself as an almost asymptomatic condition, i.e. it does not involve real and proper manifestations indicative of its presence. The only exception in this regard is represented by homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. This particular case is very rare, but here, already from childhood, small deposits of cholesterol in the skin, tendons and even around the cornea of the eye, as well as lipid plaques. Of course, the symptoms depend on the stage of the disease.
In an advanced stage, if high cholesterol is not managed properly, it can manifest itself through pain thoracic, the strong sense of oppression or constriction, cramps during a walk, a moment of mental confusion and finally even with a simple headache. High cholesterol is known as one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. To be more precise, it is necessary to fear an increase in cholesterol carried by low-density lipoproteins or also called LDLthe so-called “bad cholesterol”.
If bad cholesterol is in excess, it means that it will inevitably tend to accumulate on the walls of blood vessels, thus forming thickenings and plaques, which hinder the correct flow of blood and consequently, can lead to vascular ischemia. Conversely, HDL cholesterol, better known as “good cholesterol”, which is carried by high-density lipoproteins, lowers this risk, since HDL particles help to cleanse the entire body of cholesterol, transporting it to the liver, organ used for the elimination of these substances waste.
Cholesterol as mentioned above it is a substance present in all l‘body and necessary for life. Despite this, however, when it is present in excessive quantities, it can also cause serious health problems. So, here’s how we can do to intervene in case of high cholesterol. First of all, let’s start with some good news, in fact, if on the one hand high cholesterol is an insidious enemy, as it is responsible for serious symptoms, on the other it is easily identifiable through a simple examination of the blood.
Precisely for this reason, periodic monitoring of the levels of cholesterol in the blood, starting from the age of 20, it must become a real habit, wise and recommendable. In general, starting from the age of 20, doctors recommend repeating the exam at least every five years, even if we think we don’t need it, since we are symptom-free. In the event that high cholesterol levels or a family predisposition to this pathology have been recorded, the doctor may advise to carry out the analyses most frequently.